I just crapped my pants...

[Wikidudeman]

Daniel 9:24-27

Septuagint
 9:24-27

24 Seventy weeks have been determined upon thy people, and upon the holy city, for sin to be ended, and to seal up transgressions, and to blot out the iniquities, and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy.

25 And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks; and then the time shall return, and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted.

26 And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in him: and he shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolations.

27 And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.

Where?

So what?  They talk about Jesus 100-400 years before the fact.  Many skeptics and critics used to say that Isaiah and Psalm were either written after Jesus, or that they were written before Jesus, but later altered by the Roman Catholic Church to seem as if they predict Jesus' suffering.  Both statements are false, the skeptics and critics were wrong, and that's a known fact today.  The Bible contains fulfilled prophecy.

I understand what you're saying. You're claiming that Daniel 9 prophesied "Jesus of Nazareth" 200 years before he was born including the things he did. However let me point out a few problems.

None of them mention the name "Jesus". They mention the "Christ". We have no evidence the people living during the time of Jesus himself thought of Jesus as the prophetic messiah or the "Christ". I don't see how Daniel 9 predicting "suffering" is evidence of a prophecy since many self purported prophets during the time of Jesus were tortured and killed.

Moreover, Are you claiming that Daniel 9 predicts the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD? If so, I will explain how that's wrong if you indeed are claiming it to be true.

[loco]

I understand what you're saying. You're claiming that Daniel 9 prophesied "Jesus of Nazareth" 200 years before he was born including the things he did. However let me point out a few problems.

No.  I'm saying that Daniel 9 predicts the time when the Messiah, the Christ, would come.  Any Jew who knows the scriptures and of course, the Jewish calendar can read Daniel 9 and use it to calculate the time when the Messiah would come.  When is this supposed to be?  Around the same time when a Jew from Nazareth named Jesus walked the earth claiming to be the Messiah, the Christ. 

Even the magi from the east, who were familiar with Daniel 9 and with the Jewish calendar knew when the Messiah, the king of the Jews would come.  That is how they knew when to seek the King of the Jews so that they may bring him gifts and worship him.

None of them mention the name "Jesus". They mention the "Christ".

That's correct, but Jesus said that He is the Christ, He proved it and I believe Him.

We have no evidence the people living during the time of Jesus himself thought of Jesus as the prophetic messiah or the "Christ".

What about Peter, Paul, John, etc?  They spread the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.  Most Jews did not believe Jesus is the Messiah, but what's new?  If you study the history of Israel, you'll see that they rejected and killed most true prophets from God.

I don't see how Daniel 9 predicting "suffering" is evidence of a prophecy since many self purported prophets during the time of Jesus were tortured and killed.

Not arguing with you, but who exactly are you talking about?  Obviously, they didn't have nearly the impact Jesus had in the history of the world.  Can you give me some names or links to literature that talks about them?  Thanks!

Moreover, Are you claiming that Daniel 9 predicts the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD? If so, I will explain how that's wrong if you indeed are claiming it to be true.

I didn't say anything about the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD in this thread, but now that you mention it, Jesus did predict it:

Mark 13:2
Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

Matthew 23:37-38
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.  Look, your house is left to you desolate."

Luke 19:41-44
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

Daniel 9 is just one of many prophesies about Jesus.  Daniel is unique in that it tells the time when the Messiah would come.  There are many other prophecies about the Messiah that point to Jesus.

For example, one of many, is the Golden Gate.

Prophecy: 590 to 570 B.C.
"Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The LORD said to me, "This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it."
Ezekiel 44:1-2

Fulfilment: 1541 AD
The Arabs take over Jerusalem, rebuild its surrounding walls along with its original gates somewhere between 638 AD - 700 AD. Then, for no logical reason they shut the eastern gate in 1541 AD, after rebuilding it.  And it is still shut today.  The Muslims allegedly shut the gate to prevent the Messiah's entrance, not knowing that the Messiah had already entered through it in 33 AD.
 
Dec. 12, 1917
"History records that the Turks were preparing to have the Eastern Gate opened.
On that very day Britain's General Edmund Allenby surrounded Jerusalem and demanded the Turks surrender. The Turks surrendered without a shot being fired."
 
June 7th, 1967
"Jordan's King Hussein had made plans to open up the Eastern Gate in an apparent attempt to disprove Bible prophecy.
It was also on this incredible day that the famed 6-Day War ended and Israel regained possession of the eastern portion of Jerusalem. This included the Eastern Gate."
 
October 31 of 1997
"Israel's Housing Ministry wants to reopen a sealed gate in the wall ringing Jerusalem's Old City...The plan to break through the 15-foot-thick stone wall - part of a project to build up the Jewish 'Quarter and increase its population "
 
The Eastern Gate was shut and it is still shut today, just as foretold by the Bible.  According to the prophecy, it was shut "because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it." 

The God of Israel has already entered through it?  When? 

A Jew named Jesus, who claimed to be the God of Israel did enter through it around 33 AD.

[loco]

Wikidudeman,
Just out of curiosity, what is your faith?  Do you believe in God?

[Wikidudeman]

No.  I'm saying that Daniel 9 predicts the time when the Messiah, the Christ, would come.  Any Jew who knows the scriptures and of course, the Jewish calendar can read Daniel 9 and use it to calculate the time when the Messiah would come.  When is this supposed to be?  Around the same time when a Jew from Nazareth named Jesus walked the earth claiming to be the Messiah, the Christ. 

Even the magi from the east, who were familiar with Daniel 9 and with the Jewish calendar knew when the Messiah, the king of the Jews would come.  That is how they knew when to seek the King of the Jews so that they may bring him gifts and worship him.

Daniel 9 never mentions "Jesus" let alone 'when' he walked the earth. Please explain how it does.

That's correct, but Jesus said that He is the Christ, He proved it and I believe Him.

"Christ" simply means "anointed one" and doesn't necessarily mean "messiah". When did Jesus claim to be the Jewish Messiah?

What about Peter, Paul, John, etc?  They spread the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.  Most Jews did not believe Jesus is the Messiah, but what's new?  If you study the history of Israel, you'll see that they rejected and killed most true prophets from God.

Saint Peter the purported disciple of Jesus was said to of written the two epistles. However biblical scholars find many problems with this theory mainly the fact that the first epistle was clearly written by a Greek and not an Aramaic speaking fisherman. The second epistle is clearly a copy of the Epistle of Jude.

Paul the apostle, was said to of authored 13 letters but he actually wrote only 7 of them. Paul never met Jesus. He supposedly came to Christianity through a vision of the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:8-9)

John (I'm assuming John the apostle) was said to of written several New testament texts but there's no evidence he wrote any of them. Including the "Gospel of John".

Not arguing with you, but who exactly are you talking about?  Obviously, they didn't have nearly the impact Jesus had in the history of the world.  Can you give me some names or links to literature that talks about them?  Thanks!

There are many historical cases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion#Roman_Empire

The fact that Jesus had more historical impact isn't relevant to Daniel 9's supposed prophecy.

Mark 13:2
Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

Matthew 23:37-38
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.  Look, your house is left to you desolate."

Luke 19:41-44
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

The gospel of Mark was written around the time of the Siege and Matthew and Luke 10-20 years later. I won't argue the metaphorical significance of these passages or if they do indeed even attempt to predict the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD by Titus, but they were written during or after the siege and can't be used as "prophecy".

For example, one of many, is the Golden Gate.

Prophecy: 590 to 570 B.C.
"Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The LORD said to me, "This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it."
Ezekiel 44:1-2

Fulfilment: 1,099 AD
The Arabs take over Jerusalem, rebuild its surrounding walls along with its original gates. Then, for no logical reason they shut the eastern gate, after rebuilding it.  And it is still shut today.

Dec. 12, 1917
"History records that the Turks were preparing to have the Eastern Gate opened.
On that very day Britain's General Edmund Allenby surrounded Jerusalem and demanded the Turks surrender. The Turks surrendered without a shot being fired."

June 7th, 1967
"Jordan's King Hussein had made plans to open up the Eastern Gate in an apparent attempt to disprove Bible prophecy.
It was also on this incredible day that the famed 6-Day War ended and Israel regained possession of the eastern portion of Jerusalem. This included the Eastern Gate."
 
October 31 of 1997
"Israel's Housing Ministry wants to reopen a sealed gate in the wall ringing Jerusalem's Old City...The plan to break through the 15-foot-thick stone wall - part of a project to build up the Jewish 'Quarter and increase its population "
 
The Eastern Gate was shut and it is still shut today, just as foretold by the Bible.  According to the prophecy, it was shut "because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it." 

The God of Israel has already entered through it?  When? 

A Jew named Jesus, who claimed to be the God of Israel did enter through it around 33 AD.

Where are you getting your historical sources? The "Golden gate" in Jerusalem wasn't destroyed by the Muslims in 1099. It wasn't ever destroyed. Legend says that it was sealed in the 14th century by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I to prevent the 'messiah' from walking through it.

[loco]

Wikidudeman,

What's the matter?  Did you read my post in a hurry?  I think you need to read it again.  If you don't have the time to read my replies to your questions, then maybe you should just come back when you have the time.  Otherwise, let's not even bother.

Daniel 9 never mentions "Jesus" let alone 'when' he walked the earth. Please explain how it does.

I didn't say that it mentions "Jesus".  Read my post again.

"Christ" simply means "anointed one" and doesn't necessarily mean "messiah". When did Jesus claim to be the Jewish Messiah?

Christ means Jewish Messiah.
Here ya go, Wikidudeman:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah
"The word Christ (Greek Χριστός, Christos, "the anointed one") is a literal translation of "moshiach" used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and derived from the Greek verb χριω "rub, anoint with scented unguents or oil, as was done after bathing", "anoint in token of consecration" (Liddell & Scott's Greek-English Lexicon)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Messiah
In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, "anointed [one]") is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be "anointed" (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age

Jesus claimed in many occasions to be the Christ, the Jewish Messiah.
 

Saint Peter the purported disciple of Jesus was said to of written the two epistles. However biblical scholars find many problems with this theory mainly the fact that the first epistle was clearly written by a Greek and not an Aramaic speaking fisherman. The second epistle is clearly a copy of the Epistle of Jude.

Paul the apostle, was said to of authored 13 letters but he actually wrote only 7 of them. Paul never met Jesus. He supposedly came to Christianity through a vision of the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:8-9)

John (I'm assuming John the apostle) was said to of written several New testament texts but there's no evidence he wrote any of them. Including the "Gospel of John".

The gospel of Mark was written around the time of the Siege and Matthew and Luke 10-20 years later. I won't argue the metaphorical significance of these passages or if they do indeed even attempt to predict the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD by Titus, but they were written during or after the siege and can't be used as "prophecy".

Yes, I have heard all these silly theories before, but they hold no water.  The Gospels were written way before 70AD by eye witnesses of Jesus.  Read:

Many of the New Testament books claim to be written by eyewitnesses.

The Gospel of John claims to be written by the disciple of the Lord. Recent archaeological research has confirmed both the existence of the Pool of Bethesda and that it had five porticoes as described in John 5:2. This correct reference to an incidental detail lends credibility to the claim that the Gospel of John was written by John who as an eyewitness knew Jerusalem before it was destroyed in 70 A. D.

Paul signed his epistles with his own hand. He was writing to churches who knew him. These churches were able to authenticate that these epistles had come from his hands (Galatians 6:11). Clement an associate of Paul's wrote to the Corinthian Church in 97 A. D. urging them to heed the epistle that Paul had sent them.

The following facts strongly suggest that both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were written prior to 65 A.D. This lends credibility to the author's (Luke) claim to be an eyewitness to Paul's missionary journeys. This would date Mark prior to 65 A.D. and the Pauline epistles between 49-63 A.D.

Acts records the beginning history of the church with persecutions and martyrdoms being mentioned repeatedly. Three men; Peter, Paul, and James the brother of Jesus all play leading roles throughout the book. They were all martyred by 67 A.D., but their martyrdoms are not recorded in Acts.

The church in Jerusalem played a central role in the Book of Acts, but the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. was not mentioned. The Jewish historian Josephus cited the siege and destruction of Jerusalem as befalling the Jews because of their unjust killing of James the brother of Jesus.

The Book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome under house arrest in 62 A.D. In 64 A.D., Nero blamed and persecuted the Christians for the fire that burned down the city of Rome. Paul himself was martyred by 65 A.D. in Rome. Again, neither the terrible persecution of the Christians in Rome nor Paul's martyrdom are mentioned.

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.php

Where are you getting your historical sources? The "Golden gate" in Jerusalem wasn't destroyed by the Muslims in 1099.

I said that the "Golden gate" was REBUILT, NOT destroyed by the Muslims.  Read my post again.  I do admit that I was wrong about the date when it was shut.  It was shut in 1541 AD, not in 1099 AD.  I have updated my original post to correct this.

Timeline: History of Jerusalem
http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=222

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Gate
"It was probably built in the 520s CE, as part of Justinian I's building program in Jerusalem, on top of the ruins of an earlier gate in the wall. An alternate theory holds that it was built in the later part of the 7th century by Byzantine artisans employed by the Umayyad khalifs."

It wasn't ever destroyed.

Are you sure about that, Wikidudeman?  Didn't the Romans destroy Jerusalem in 70AD, along with its surrounding walls and its temple?

Besides, it doesn't matter.  What matters is that the eastern gate was shut and remains shut today as foretold by the Bible, because the God of Israel entered through it.

Again, if you don't have time to read my replies to your questions, then come back when you have more time, before you post a reply in haste accusing me of writing stuff I never wrote.     

[loco]

it was sealed in the 14th century by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I to prevent the 'messiah' from walking through it.

See, that's the amazing thing.  In trying to prevent this prophecy from being fulfilled, the Muslims actually fulfilled the prophecy.  Muslims, just as most Jews, do not believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah or the God of Israel.  So they didn't know that the Messiah, the God of Israel, had already entered through the eastern gate in 33AD and that the next event to complete the fulfillment of the the prophecy was to shut the gate.

Interesting too is that it was the Muslims, not the Christians who shut the gate.  Christians had control of Jerusalem between 1099 AD and 1187 AD, but they didn't shut the gate.  It was the Muslims, after they took control of Jerusalem around 1187 AD, who later shut the gate in 1541 AD.  If the Christians had shut it, skeptics and Bible critics would have said that Christians forced the prophecy to come true to support our claim that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and God of Israel.

[loco]

There are many historical cases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion#Roman_Empire

I read it, but I didn't see your "many historical cases".  Is this what you are talking about?

"Notorious mass crucifixions followed the Third Servile War (the slave rebellion under Spartacus), the Roman Civil War, and the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus tells a story of the Romans crucifying people along the walls of Jerusalem. He also says that the Roman soldiers would amuse themselves by crucifying criminals in different positions"

Because this isn't supporting your statement that

many self purported prophets during the time of Jesus were tortured and killed

These were prisoners of war that the Romans crucified and not "self purported prophets during the time of Jesus."

However, this was a very interesting read and it goes along with everything the Gospels say in detail about Roman crucifixion and the cruel prelude of scourging during the time of Jesus.  So it gives more support to the accuracy and reliability of the Gospels and their record of Jesus' crucifixion.  Thank you!   

[loco]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion#Roman_Empire

Interesting also about your link is the fact below.  See, for many years skeptics and Bible critics said that the Gospels were a myth since the Romans didn't crucify anybody, or so they said.  The Romans, skeptics said, didn't crucify anybody because not one archaeological finding showed that they did.  Well, they were wrong.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion#Archaeological_evidence_for_ancient_crucifixion
Archaeological evidence for ancient crucifixion

"Despite the fact that the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, as well as other sources, refer to the crucifixion of thousands of people by the Romans, there is only a single archaeological discovery of a crucified body dating back to the Roman Empire around the time of Jesus which was discovered in Jerusalem. It is not surprising that there is only one such discovery, because a crucified body was usually left to decay on the cross and therefore would not be preserved. The only reason these archaeological remains were preserved was because family members gave this particular individual a customary burial.

The remains were found accidentally in an ossuary with the crucified man’s name on it, 'Yehohanan, the son of Hagakol'. The ossuary contained a heel with a nail driven through its side, indicating that the heels may have been driven through the sides of the tree (one on the left side, one on the right side, and not with both feet together in front). The nail had olive wood on it indicating that he was crucified on a cross made of olivewood or on an olive tree. Since olive trees are not very tall, this would suggest that the condemned were crucified at eye level. Additionally, the piece of olive wood was located between the heel and the head of the nail, presumably to keep the condemned from freeing his foot by sliding it over the nail. His legs were found broken. It is thought that since in Roman times iron was expensive, the nails were removed from the dead body to cut the costs, which would help to explain why only one has been found, as the back of the nail was bent in such a way that it couldn't be removed.

Important references for the ancient practice of crucifixion and an examination of archaeological evidence:

Tzaferis, Vassilios. “Crucifixion -- The Archaeological Evidence”, Biblical Archaeology Review 11, February, 1985: 44–53.
Zias, Joseph. “The Crucified Man from Giv’at Ha-Mivtar: A Reappraisal”, Israel Exploration Journal 35 (1), 1985: 22–27.
Hengel, Martin. Crucifixion (Augsburg Fortress, 1977). ISBN 0-8006-1268-X. "


More support for the accuracy and reliability of the Gospels of Jesus Christ.  Thank you!   

[Wikidudeman]

Christ means Jewish Messiah.
Here ya go, Wikidudeman:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah
"The word Christ (Greek Χριστός, Christos, "the anointed one") is a literal translation of "moshiach" used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and derived from the Greek verb χριω "rub, anoint with scented unguents or oil, as was done after bathing", "anoint in token of consecration" (Liddell & Scott's Greek-English Lexicon)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Messiah
In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, "anointed [one]") is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be "anointed" (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age

You're talking about the word used which literally means "anointed one" opposed to "Messiah". There were many "anointed ones" who weren't considered the Jewish Messiah.

Jesus claimed in many occasions to be the Christ, the Jewish Messiah.

Where?
 

Yes, I have heard all these silly theories before, but they hold no water.  The Gospels were written way before 70AD by eye witnesses of Jesus.  Read:

Most bible scholars disagree.

The Gospel of John claims to be written by the disciple of the Lord. Recent archaeological research has confirmed both the existence of the Pool of Bethesda and that it had five porticoes as described in John 5:2. This correct reference to an incidental detail lends credibility to the claim that the Gospel of John was written by John who as an eyewitness knew Jerusalem before it was destroyed in 70 A. D.

How does this prove that it was written then?

Maybe the author was alive before the pool was destroyed.

Maybe the author asked people who were alive then and saw the pool before it was destroyed.

Maybe the author could tell that the pool had 5 porches even after it was destroyed. Since clearly the "archaeological research" was able to confirm it.

Paul signed his epistles with his own hand. He was writing to churches who knew him. These churches were able to authenticate that these epistles had come from his hands (Galatians 6:11). Clement an associate of Paul's wrote to the Corinthian Church in 97 A. D. urging them to heed the epistle that Paul had sent them.

I'm not doubting that Paul wrote most of the epistles. However as stated earlier, Paul never met Jesus.

Acts records the beginning history of the church with persecutions and martyrdoms being mentioned repeatedly. Three men; Peter, Paul, and James the brother of Jesus all play leading roles throughout the book. They were all martyred by 67 A.D., but their martyrdoms are not recorded in Acts.

The fact that a book mentions previously dead people in no way can be used as evidence the book was written when they were alive. Acts was probably written sometime between 65 A.D. to 80 A.D. with various scholars being on disagreement on the precise date. Norman Geisler is one of the prominent scholars who contends an earlier age around 65 A.D.

The church in Jerusalem played a central role in the Book of Acts, but the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. was not mentioned. The Jewish historian Josephus cited the siege and destruction of Jerusalem as befalling the Jews because of their unjust killing of James the brother of Jesus. 

This could mean that either the authors chose not to mention the destruction of Jerusalem for one reason or another or because it was actually written prior to 70 A.D. likely around 65 A.D. neither of which seem implausible.

The Book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome under house arrest in 62 A.D. In 64 A.D., Nero blamed and persecuted the Christians for the fire that burned down the city of Rome. Paul himself was martyred by 65 A.D. in Rome. Again, neither the terrible persecution of the Christians in Rome nor Paul's martyrdom are mentioned.

This isn't really evidence it was written prior to these events occurring. It's circumstantial.

I said that the "Golden gate" was REBUILT, NOT destroyed by the Muslims.  Read my post again.  I do admit that I was wrong about the date when it was shut.  It was shut in 1541 AD, not in 1099 AD.  I have updated my original post to correct this.

Legend says that It was shut by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I to prevent the "Messiah" from coming through it. Though possibly for other unknown reasons.

Are you sure about that, Wikidudeman?  Didn't the Romans destroy Jerusalem in 70AD, along with its surrounding walls and its temple?

They didn't flatten Jerusalem. Many monuments in Jerusalem survived including the Golden Gate.

Besides, it doesn't matter.  What matters is that the eastern gate was shut and remains shut today as foretold by the Bible, because the God of Israel entered through it.

There's no evidence it's being kept shut has anything to do with Ezekiel 44:1-2 saying it would be kept shut.

[Wikidudeman]

I read it, but I didn't see your "many historical cases".  Is this what you are talking about?

"Notorious mass crucifixions followed the Third Servile War (the slave rebellion under Spartacus), the Roman Civil War, and the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus tells a story of the Romans crucifying people along the walls of Jerusalem. He also says that the Roman soldiers would amuse themselves by crucifying criminals in different positions"

Because this isn't supporting your statement that

These were prisoners of war that the Romans crucified and not "self purported prophets during the time of Jesus."

The point was that during the time of Jesus many people were killed in the same way he was killed. I didn't mean to claim that these people were actually claiming to be the Jewish Messiah. Jesus himself was never claiming to be the Jewish Messiah.

Interesting also about your link is the fact below.  See, for many years skeptics and Bible critics said that the Gospels were a myth since the Romans didn't crucify anybody, or so they said.  The Romans, skeptics said, didn't crucify anybody because not one archaeological finding showed that they did.  Well, they were wrong.   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion#Archaeological_evidence_for_ancient_crucifixion
Archaeological evidence for ancient crucifixion

"Despite the fact that the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, as well as other sources, refer to the crucifixion of thousands of people by the Romans, there is only a single archaeological discovery of a crucified body dating back to the Roman Empire around the time of Jesus which was discovered in Jerusalem. It is not surprising that there is only one such discovery, because a crucified body was usually left to decay on the cross and therefore would not be preserved. The only reason these archaeological remains were preserved was because family members gave this particular individual a customary burial.

The remains were found accidentally in an ossuary with the crucified man’s name on it, 'Yehohanan, the son of Hagakol'. The ossuary contained a heel with a nail driven through its side, indicating that the heels may have been driven through the sides of the tree (one on the left side, one on the right side, and not with both feet together in front). The nail had olive wood on it indicating that he was crucified on a cross made of olivewood or on an olive tree. Since olive trees are not very tall, this would suggest that the condemned were crucified at eye level. Additionally, the piece of olive wood was located between the heel and the head of the nail, presumably to keep the condemned from freeing his foot by sliding it over the nail. His legs were found broken. It is thought that since in Roman times iron was expensive, the nails were removed from the dead body to cut the costs, which would help to explain why only one has been found, as the back of the nail was bent in such a way that it couldn't be removed.

Important references for the ancient practice of crucifixion and an examination of archaeological evidence:

Tzaferis, Vassilios. “Crucifixion -- The Archaeological Evidence”, Biblical Archaeology Review 11, February, 1985: 44–53.
Zias, Joseph. “The Crucified Man from Giv’at Ha-Mivtar: A Reappraisal”, Israel Exploration Journal 35 (1), 1985: 22–27.
Hengel, Martin. Crucifixion (Augsburg Fortress, 1977). ISBN 0-8006-1268-X. "


More support for the accuracy and reliability of the Gospels of Jesus Christ.  Thank you!   

Which "Bible skeptics" said that the Romans didn't crucify people during the time of Jesus?

[Eyeball Chambers]

According to christians you are, but according to me and some other people you are not. You are nice because you feel it's the right thing to do as a service to your fellow man. You get morals through your own moral phiolosophy and not some book. You are nice, not for fear of the some boggeyman in the sky, but for the love of your fellow man.

Junaid, what are you babbling on about? 

Exactly!

Great minds do think alike.